News

Congress Clear Defense Policy Bill

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School of Public Health Dean Sandro Galea addressed the National Institutes of Health Director's Wednesday Afternoon Lunch Series on "The Contagion Next Time: Underlying Socioeconomic and Racial Divides and Our Risk from COVID and Future Pandemics" on December 16th.

CONGRESS CLEARS DEFENSE POLICY BILL

BUZZ BITS...

• The National Science Foundation (NSF) is soliciting input for the NSF's five-year strategic plan. The request asks stakeholders to help shape what the agency's research priorities should be through 2026. Comments are due by January 22, 2021.
• Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Education announced changes to its College Scorecard that will allow prospective students to compare how much students at a given university earn after graduation, as well as student loan indebtedness for both students and parents.
• A U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson indicated last week that the guidance for international students whose course of study was interrupted by the pandemic would remain unchanged for spring 2021. Universities had asked for clarification that the guidance would remain, as well as additional flexibility to permit newly enrolled students to use distance learning.

WHAT COULD BIDEN MEAN FOR ARTS & HUMANITIES?

As President-elect Joseph Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris prepare to take office in January, Beltway BUzz will occasionally highlight what the higher education community can expect from the new administration.

The Biden-Harris Transition Team for the Arts and Humanities is populated by leaders from museum administration, public television, arts advocacy, and municipal cultural agencies. The incoming administration is expected to reconstitute the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities, a White House advisory board that lapsed under the Trump Administration. As part of its economic recovery agenda, the Biden Administration is likely to focus on the role the National Endowments for the Arts (NEA) and the Humanities (NEH) can play in spurring economic growth. Beyond the NEA and NEH, a Biden State Department may also utilize American art and artists as a tool of cultural diplomacy.

Learn about the review team

A Note To Our Readers: Beltway BUzz will bring you the latest developments once Congress passes a fiscal year 2021 appropriations package and COVID-19 relief bill. If a deal is not reached by next week, we will return in the new year. Have a safe and happy holiday!

Biden Announces More Personnel

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Kevin Outterson of the School of Law accepted the Global Health Technologies Coalition's 2020 Partnership Award on behalf of CARB-X on December 8th. The coalition also honored Sens. Patty Murray (D- WA) and John Boozman (R-AR).

School of Public Health Dean Sandro Galea addressed a telephone townhall regarding COVID-19 hosted by Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) on December 9th.

BIDEN ANNOUNCES MORE PERSONNEL

• Xavier Becerra as secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Mr. Becerra is currently California's Attorney General and previously represented East Los Angeles for more than two decades in Congress. If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, he would be the first Latino to lead the Department.
• Dr. Rochelle Walensky as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Walensky is currently chief of the division of infectious diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital.
• General Lloyd Austin as secretary of the Department of Defense (DOD). General Austin will need a waiver from Congress allowing a recent member of the military to lead the agency, rather than a civilian. If confirmed, General Austin will be the first Black DOD chief.
• Ambassador Susan Rice as director of the White House Domestic Policy Council (DPC). The DPC formulates the President's domestic priorities, including higher education policy. Ms. Rice previously held foreign policy roles in the Obama Administration.

BUZZ BITS...

• On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo criticized American universities for making bad decisions about academic freedom and national security because they are "hooked on Chinese Communist Party cash." In a speech at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Pompeo named several American universities he believes have neither protected American research nor Chinese students studying in the U.S.
• On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) announced the creation of a free speech hotline for the public to report incidents of speech infringement on college campuses. Last month, the Department implemented regulations that could cut federal funding to colleges who violate the First Amendment or their own free speech policies.
• ED also announced that it will extend student loan forbearance due to the coronavirus pandemic through the end of January. Federal student loan payments were suspended in March due to the public health emergency, and borrowers would have needed to resume payments in January absent executive or Congressional action.

WHAT COULD BIDEN MEAN FOR HIGHER ED?

As President-elect Joseph Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris prepare to take office in January, Beltway BUzz will occasionally highlight what the higher education community can expect from the new administration.

The incoming administration is expected to focus its higher education resources on community colleges and minority-serving institutions as a means of addressing the Biden-Harris transition team's economic recovery and racial equity priorities. After campaigning on the issue of debt-free college, Biden is already facing pressure to quickly address student loan debt. The President-elect is also expected to reinstate and expand upon the Obama Administration's rules requiring colleges to demonstrate that their graduates are well-equipped to enter the workforce. As one of the architects of President Obama's approach to addressing sexual misconduct on college campuses, Biden will work to reverse the Trump Administration's significant narrowing of the definition of misconduct under Title IX.

Learn more

Biden Announces More Personnel

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Associate Provost for Computing & Data Sciences Azer Bestavros participated in a meeting of the National Science Foundation's Computer & Information Science & Engineering Advisory Committee, of which he is a member, on December 2nd and 3rd.

BIDEN ANNOUNCES MORE PERSONNEL

• Neera Tanden as director of the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB). OMB oversees the President's Budget and all federal regulations. Ms. Tanden leads the liberal Center for American Progress think tank, and Senate Republicans have signaled their opposition to her nomination.
• Former Secretary of State John Kerry as special presidential envoy for climate within the National Security Council. Climate change is one of Biden's four top policy priorities.
• Alejandro Mayorkas as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Mayorkas was the architect of the Obama-era program that provided undocumented students with legal status; he is expected to ensure that DHS supports international students.

BUZZ BITS...

• The National Science Foundation (NSF) announced Wednesday that Kendra Sharp will be the next head of the NSF Office of International Science and Engineering. Dr. Sharp is currently a professor of mechanical engineering and senior advisor for global affairs at Oregon State University.
• On Thursday, Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) was chosen as the next chair of the powerful House Appropriations Committee. DeLauro, a cancer survivor, is expected to champion funding for biomedical research, student aid, and New England regional priorities from her perch atop the spending committee.
• President Donald J. Trump announced his intent to appoint two more members to the National Science Board, which oversees the National Science Foundation. Aerospace engineer Scott Stanley and UCLA professor Michael Malkan will fill the last two vacancies on the 24 member council.

GRANTS NEWS YOU CAN USE

The National Science Foundation (NSF) recently issued a Dear Colleague letter drawing attention to its Career Life Balance supplements “to help [NSF-funded] researchers, who are confronted with a short-term increase in dependent care responsibilities, ensure that the research activities supported by an NSF award can continue.” The supplements are part of an ongoing NSF initiative to support and retain graduate students, postdoctoral associates, and researchers at all levels, particularly in the STEM fields.

Learn more

What Could Biden Mean for Research?

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Kevin Gallagher of the Global Development Policy Center hosted a webinar on China and the international monetary system with Dr. Zhongxia Jin, the executive director for the People’s Republic of China at the International Monetary Fund, on November 12th.

WHAT COULD BIDEN MEAN FOR RESEARCH?

As President-elect Joseph Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris prepare to take office in January, Beltway BUzz will occasionally highlight what the higher education community can expect from the new administration.

The Biden-Harris campaign has made science a cornerstone of its agenda, with the candidates saying they will listen to scientists and take quick action on the coronavirus pandemic, racial justice, and climate change. The Biden Administration is expected to launch new research initiatives on cancer, infectious diseases, and climate science, while maintaining existing federal initiatives on artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and advanced materials. In addition, science agencies are expected to focus on expanding participation in science by underrepresented minorities and women and promoting safe and inclusive research environments. The new administration is also likely to reverse the Trump Administration's limitations on fetal tissue research.

Learn more

BUZZ BITS...

• On Wednesday, Congresswoman Katherine Clark (D-MA) was elected assistant speaker of the House Democratic Caucus, the fourth highest Democratic leadership position in the chamber.  Clark, whose district includes Framingham and Medford, previously served as vice chair of the Caucus. Her ascension in leadership gives the Commonwealth a prominent voice in Washington, D.C.
• The Biden-Harris Transition announced on Tuesday that Annie Tomasini (CAS '02) will serve as director of Oval Office operations when the President-elect assumes office in January 2021. She has previously served in a variety of roles for Biden during his time on the campaign, as Vice President, and in the U.S. Senate.
• The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently issued its final policy for data management and sharing by NIH grantees, aimed at promoting and standardizing the sharing of data generated from federally-funded biomedical research. Starting in 2023, applicants for NIH extramural funding will have to submit a data plan when submitting a proposal.

EVENTS NEWS YOU CAN USE

Join the Office of Research on December 2nd at 4 pm for a virtual Research on Tap about "Wearables and Biosensors for Environmental and Human Health." Hosted by Professor Catherine Klapperich of the College of Engineering, the session will feature microtalks by BU researchers from an array of disciplines who are exploring how biosensing technologies and data analytics can drive new hypotheses and solutions for better health. Following the talks, members of the BU community can connect with peer researchers working in the field.

RSVP today

A Note to Our Readers: Beltway BUzz will not publish next week due to the Thanksgiving holiday. We wish you a healthy and safe holiday and will resume publication in December.

Biden Transition Begins

BIDEN TRANSITION BEGINS

As President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris prepare to transition into their new roles, they have identified COVID-19, economic recovery, racial equity, and climate as top priorities. On Wednesday, Biden announced that Ron Klain, who spearheaded the Obama Administration's successful response to the Ebola epidemic, will be White House Chief of Staff. On Tuesday, the Biden-Harris transition identified the members of the review teams who will oversee the hand-off at specific federal agencies. Education scholar Linda Darling-Hammond will oversee the Department of Education transition team and Obama Administration alumna Cristin Dorgelo will oversee the transition at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Read their plans

SENATE NUDGES BUDGET PROCESS ALONG

The fiscal year 2021 budget process inched forward this week as the Senate Appropriations Committee released proposed spending bills for each federal agency. The Senate bills recommend a significant increase for the National Institutes of Health (4.2%), modest increases for the National Science Foundation (2.4%) and Pell Grant awards (2.4%), and flat funding for the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities. The package does not include COVID-19 relief funds. To avoid a government shutdown, Congressional negotiators need to reach agreement on funding levels for the entire federal government before the current continuing resolution expires on December 12. 

Learn more

GRANTS NEWS YOU CAN USE

The Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE) Directorate of the National Science Foundation recently released a Dear Colleague Letter inviting proposals that address challenging infrastructure contexts that require a human and social centered approach. The Strengthening American Infrastructure program invites both Conference and Early Concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER) proposals that incorporate scientific insights about human behavior and social dynamics to better develop, design, build, rehabilitate, and maintain strong and effective American infrastructure. Conference proposals are due by the end of the month, and outlines for EAGER proposals are due no later than December 11.

Submit a proposal

Results of Presidential Election Expected Soon

BU IN DC

Pardee School of Global Studies Dean Adil Najam spoke on a panel celebrating the 75th anniversary of the United Nations along with Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA) on October 21.

The BU School of Public Health's Department of Environmental Health hosted a forum on the intersection of medical research and climate change policy with staff from the offices of Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) and Rep. Katherine Clark (D-MA) on October 22.

Danielle Citron of the School of Law participated in a panel discussion on internet privacy laws featuring Reps.Yvette Clark (D-NY) and Mike Doyle (D-PA) on October 23.

RESULTS OF PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION EXPECTED SOON

With several states still counting ballots from Tuesday’s elections, Vice President Joe Biden is confident he will receive the more than the 270 electoral votes needed to become President of the United States on January 20, 2021. However, President Donald J. Trump has filed legal challenges to the ballot counting process in several states and indicated he will request recounts in others. Electoral vote results must be certified by December 14, 2020. Should Biden emerge victorious, his plans to focus on economic recovery, climate science, and reversing recent changes to immigration policy may be stymied by a closely divided Congress.

Find out more about the electoral college

SENATE CONTROL UNCLEAR; DEMOCRATS RETAIN HOUSE

At least four Senate races remain too close to call following Tuesday's Congressional elections, leaving control of the chamber for next year up in the air. One prominent science advocate, Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO), lost his seat, while another, Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), retained his. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) will return to Congress as its only New England Republican after a hard-fought race.

In the U.S. House of Representatives, Democrats will return in 2021 with a smaller majority following the loss of several incumbents. The Massachusetts Congressional delegation will have one new member: Democrat Representative-elect Jake Auchincloss won the vacant 4th Congressional District seat and will represent BU's Fenway Campus and WBUR CitySpace.

It remains to be seen how a closely divided Congress may address issues such as COVID-19 relief for students and research and the renewal of the Higher Education Act.

EVENTS NEWS YOU CAN USE

Join the Office of Research on November 18th at 4 pm for a virtual Research on Tap about "Diverse Approaches to Understanding and Controlling COVID-19." Hosted by Professor Ron Corley of BU's National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories, the session will feature microtalks by BU scientists and engineers working to understand the virus, identify therapies, develop disease models, and detect and inactivate the virus. Following the talks, members of the BU community can connect with peer researchers working to combat COVID-19. 

RSVP today